SAÜ’s policy covers students, academic and administrative staff across education, employment and campus life. Under its reporting procedure, people may raise a concern formally or informally, with confidentiality and protection against retaliation. The University undertakes to investigate allegations fairly and impartially and to take disciplinary action when harassment is established. Its complaint system accepts supporting documents, and the Legal Counsel reviews referred investigation reports. [1, 4, 5]
The Senate approved the Gender Equality Plan 2022–2025 on 23 February 2023 (636/3). Objective 5 covers violence, abuse, workplace bullying and harassment. It provides for accessible points of contact, better lighting, campus security and the establishment of a counselling unit. [2, 3]
Through the University’s Quality Management Information System, stakeholders can describe a concern and attach supporting files. The form restricts access to authorised personnel. The 2025 Institutional Activity Report describes the registration and management of stakeholder complaints, and the 2025 Institutional Performance Programme commits to objective assessment and prompt resolution. [4, 5, 12]
The Legal Counsel’s 2025 report assigns the office responsibility for examining investigation reports referred by the Rector or Secretary General, advising investigating officials and following up on inquiries initiated by the Rectorate. The University’s earlier Sustainability Report describes harassment within its disciplinary framework. [7, 10]
For students, Article 54(1)(ç)(5) of Higher Education Law No. 2547 identifies sexual harassment in a higher education institution as a disciplinary offence. Article 54(3) specifies the authority competent to open an inquiry. For employees, Presidential Circular 2025/3 of 6 March 2025 addresses psychological harassment at work. The Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye describes prevention duties, prompt examination of allegations, privacy safeguards and external reporting options under the applicable law. [8, 9]
In November 2025, TOKAS coordinated a panel on preventing violence against women with the Economic and Social Research Centre and other partners. A representative of the provincial Violence Prevention and Monitoring Centre explained available support mechanisms. The Sustainability Report 2025 also records the Centre’s public-awareness work. Earlier in the autumn, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences opened its first Jean Monnet Module, ShakesEU. Its first class addressed human dignity, equality and non-discrimination. These activities document preventive education. The University’s reporting and investigation commitments are set out in the policy and institutional records identified above. [1, 6, 7, 11, 13]
The Sustainability Report 2025 confirms that Sakarya University’s Sustainable University Policy explicitly commits to respect for human rights and inclusiveness in institutional governance (pp. 7, 15). At the provincial level, SAU participates in the Provincial Women’s Empowerment Coordination Board and its Action Plan, commissions on combating violence against women, and the implementation of the Provincial Action Plan under the Roman Strategy Document, further demonstrating the institutional framework within which the anti-harassment policy operates [6].
Figure 1. Institutional prohibition of harassment and protection for reporting. Extract from the published web text (print layout). Source [1]
Figure 2. Gender Equality Plan 2022–2025, PDF p. 14. Objective 5 identifies the safe-campus commitment and responsible bodies. Source [2]
Figure 3. Gender Equality Plan, PDF p. 15. The action list includes prevention and follow-up of violence, abuse, workplace bullying and harassment. Source [2]
Figure 4. Detail of the counselling-unit proposal in Objective 5. This entry records a planned action. Source [2]
Figure 5. Investigation, response and preventive education. Extract from the published web text (print layout). Source [1]
Figure 6. Legal Counsel 2025 Activity Report, PDF p. 3. The office describes its role in examining referred investigation reports. Source [7]
Figure 7. TİHEK’s account of the March 2025 circular on preventing workplace harassment. Extract from the published web text (print layout). Source [9]
Figure 8. Photograph published by SESAM with the November 2025 panel report on preventing violence against women. Source [11]
#AntiHarassmentPolicy #ConfidentialComplaints #ProtectionFromRetaliation #ImpartialInvestigation #WorkplaceBullyingPrevention #SafeCampus
